Ashley Blachford, Author at Journal of Urgent Care Medicine

New mRNA Flu Shot Would Offer Timely Response To Circulating Flu Strains

If approved, a new seasonal flu shot would become the first commercially available flu vaccine using mRNA technology, according to a news release. Moderna’s seasonal influenza vaccine mRNA-1010 (marketed as mFlusiva) has not yet received final Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval, but it has reached a major milestone. On June 18, the agency’s vaccine committee voted unanimously that the mRNA vaccine’s benefits outweigh its risks for adults aged 50 years and older, as published …

California Wage Rules Could Drive Up Urgent Care Labor Costs Overall

Starting July 1, healthcare organizations in California will begin paying employees according to new minimum wage rules under legislation signed into law in 2024. And for urgent care, the facility type makes a difference. Urgent cares affiliated with community clinics or rural health clinics must raise the minimum hourly pay from $21 to $22. For most urgent cares, however—operators that fall into the “all other covered healthcare facilities” category in the law—the minimum hourly pay …

New Glucose Monitor Measures Glycemic Trends For Kids

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the first over-the-counter continuous glucose monitor (CGM) indicated for children aged 2 years and older who do not use insulin, according to an agency news release. The wearable device continuously measures glucose levels and displays readings and trends through a smartphone application, which can be used on a caregiver’s device. Real-time glucose data—measured every 15 minutes—is intended to help children and their parents better understand the effects …

Last Season’s COVID Vaccine Reduced Critical Illness

Researchers found high effectiveness of the 2024–2025 COVID-19 vaccine among adults treated across 381 emergency department and/or urgent care sites and 246 hospitals in 6 states between September 2024 and September 2025, as published this week in JAMA Internal Medicine. Among adults, vaccination was associated with a 26% reduction in COVID-19–related emergency department and urgent care visits, a 35% reduction in COVID-19–related hospitalizations, and a 41% reduction in critical illness compared with no vaccine. Protection …

Recent Gout Flares Linked to Tachyarrhythmia Risk

Researchers from England and Sweden found that newly diagnosed tachyarrhythmia is associated with recent gout flares, as published in The Lancet Primary Care. In the English cohort, 20,157 patients with incident tachyarrhythmia were compared with 76,835 matched controls. In the Swedish cohort, 1,995 cases were compared with 6,086 controls. In both populations, a gout flare within the previous 30 days was associated with significantly greater odds of a new tachyarrhythmia diagnosis, most commonly atrial fibrillation …

AMA Doubles Down on Limits For Artificial Intelligence

The American Medical Association (AMA) developed a new set of policies at its recent annual meeting of the AMA House of Delegates to help ensure that AI is used to augment, not replace, physician decision-making, as outlined in a press release. While the policies aim to address a broad range of healthcare AI applications, they reinforce basic principles for payers and providers that use AI-powered tools. Not surprisingly, the association opposes the use of autonomous …

Urgent Care Compensates PAs Well: AAPA Survey

The American Academy of Physician Associates (AAPA) released results from a new survey examining salaries, hourly wages, and total compensation for physician associates—also known as physician assistants or PAs. Among practice specialties, urgent care PAs ranked sixth in median total compensation, earning $152,397 annually. In terms of compensation models, 58% of urgent care PAs receive a salary, and 65% are eligible to earn a bonus. Respondents reported a median annual base compensation of $141,449 and …

How Much Do Americans Know About STIs?

A survey of 1,639 U.S. adults by University of Pennsylvania found that Americans generally understand the basics of sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Most respondents correctly identified that gonorrhea (94%), HIV (92%), syphilis (91%), and chlamydia (89%) can be transmitted sexually. A high number of respondents also correctly recognized the specific routes of transmission for STIs as well: vaginal sex (97% recognized this route); anal sex (94%); genital-to-genital contact (91%); and oral sex (89%). Additionally, 93% …

EMR Alerts Prompt More Chlamydia Testing

When it comes to chlamydia screenings, EMR alerts can lead to increased screening rates among young women, according to a study published in JAMA Network Open. Across 16 primary care practices, chlamydia testing was ordered among women aged 18–24 years in just 3.8% (135 of 3,586) of eligible encounters in control sites compared with 13.2% (497 of 3,770) of eligible encounters in the intervention sites when EMR alerts were directed to medical assistants during patient …

COVID-19 Oral Antiviral Offers Postexposure Prevention

The Food and Drug Administration has approved ensitrelvir for the prevention of COVID-19 in individuals aged 12 years and older following exposure to SARS-CoV-2. According to the manufacturer, the authorization makes ensitrelvir the first oral antiviral available in the United States for postexposure prophylaxis against COVID-19. It must be initiated within 72 hours of exposure, and treatment includes a 5-day regimen. Approval was supported by findings from a trial including more than 2,000 participants that …

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